HOUSTON — The first phase of a brand new international terminal at Bush Airport is just months away from opening.
On Wednesday, KHOU 11 News got a look behind the scenes of ongoing construction. Airport officials said Houston is growing and its airport has to keep up as it's the first impression of Houston for millions of travelers.
Just last year, travel at Bush Airport reached a record with 46 million travelers. The new International Central Processor (ICP) will make room for way more next year.
“This is going to be a real statement piece for the City of Houston,” said Airport Director Jim Szczesniak.
The oculus is under construction right now, but this focal point will cascade natural light into the building, surrounded by a couple thousand LED screens. This will provide a backdrop for a broad counter for international flight check-in, bag drop, passenger arrival and departure and so much more.
“We open a brand-new international arrivals terminal the lanes that we have the curbs to be able to handle. The traffic is a great expansion,” Szczesniak said.
The ICP is nestled between the current terminals E and D.
It's a project years in the making and with Houston’s international travel quadrupling in the last 30 years, passengers need it and so does the city.
“The airport system itself generates $36.4 billion in annual economic activity. And if you look at the international flight, each of those flights is bringing in, tens of millions of dollars," Szczesniak said.
These projects are going to be big. The terminal D expansion is going to be three times bigger than Minute Maid Park’s field. The D West Pier, in terms of square footage, is 12 times bigger than the Toyota Center.
“The pier we are in right now has six international widebody gates for the big planes, but we can also convert that into 10 narrow body equivalent positions," Szczesniak said.
Szczeniak said its new TSA screening area will have the most modern equipment on the market, including 17 new lanes, allowing for a swifter screening process.
One machine is estimated to allow TSA to scan at least 100 more people than usual per hour.
“Not going to have to take your liquids out, not going to have to take your laptops out. And you’re gonna be able to keep all that in your bag. And we have the new walk-through metal detectors that are not claustrophobic," Szczesniak said.
The first phase opens this winder, allowing United Airlines to resume Terminal E operations. The final phase is set to open in the summer of 2025.